Amazing Maze Quest
Released: November 7, 2010 Retired: November 8, 2010 Mazes, a form of "tour puzzle," can be as basic as a drawing in a coloring book for children, or as confusing and mindboggling as a carnival house of mirrors. Mazes provide family entertainment for a weekend stroll in a lush garden, or a trek down a befuddling maniacal path seemingly without end. They have an ancient history and take many forms and paths. On our quest today, we are going to tour the twists and turns of the world of mazes! Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and an Amazing Maze Clock! Prizes Quest Q&A 1. A maze, according to Webster's Dictionary, is "a confusing, intricate network of winding pathways; specifically with one or more blind alleys." It is a puzzle with a goal which when reached "solves" the maze. A labyrinth is also a type of maze. What is the basic difference between a maze and a labyrinth? : a. A labyrinth does not have blind alleys and loops : b. There is no differance : c. The labyrinth does not have an end : d. A labyrinth by definition is multicursal 2. A labyrinth is said to be defined as "a confusing, intricate network of winding pathways with no blind alleys or loops" and thus no "puzzle" element to it. In reality, writers have mixed the two terms interchangeably at least since the most famous labyrinth in literature, the Cretan Labyrinth of the Minotaur legend. This labyrinth was obviously designed to be a puzzle with blind alleys. Go to Stonehenge in Medieval Age and say: "Maze or labyrinth, perplexing puzzles all!" 3. The Egyptian Labyrinth has the honor of being the first recorded maze in history. A Greek traveler and writer from the 5th century BC, named Herodotus visited the Egyptian Labyrinth. He was so impressed he said that "...all the works and buildings of the Greeks put together would certainly be inferior to this labyrinth as regards labor and expense." He added that the Egyptian Labyrinth even surpassed what other wondrous achievement? : a. The Collosus of Rhodes : b. The statue of Zeus at Olympia : c. The Great Pyramid of Cheops : d. The Hanging Gardens of Babalonia 4. The Egyptian Labyrinth was surrounded by a wall containing 12 courts with 3,000 chambers. It had a stone roof, and the walls were covered with sculpture. On one end of the labyrinth was a pyramid 243 feet high. The temple was in two levels. Half of the rooms were above ground and the rest were built below ground. Herodotus was brought through the above ground part of the labyrinth, but was not allowed to see the below ground part. Go to the Undersea Window in Australia and say: "Truly amazing!" 5. In England, there developed a type of mazes called turf mazes which seem to be specific to that country. These mazes were built in or just outside towns and villages across the countryside. They vary in size from around 25 feet to over 80 feet in diameter. The path is usually cut into the ground about 6 inches. What is the other typical name given to these mazes? : a. Mizmaze : b. Troy Town : c. Shepards Race : d. All of the above 6. A 1740 Welsh history book tells of the strange custom shepherds had of cutting the turf into a labyrinth shape. This would seem to explain the name "Shepherd's Race" which is applied to some turf mazes. The name "Troy town" most likely refers to a legend which says that the City of Troy had seven exterior walls arranged as a maze meant to confuse and frustrate an attacking army. Go to Outside the Mercantile in Western Age and say: "Mazes, mazes, mazes!" 7. The growing of hedges in gardens dates back to Roman times with the earliest references to them appearing in the 13th century in Belgium. The hedge maze had spread to England by the sixteenth century. In the late 1600's, King Louis XIV had a labyrinth built as a part of the gardens at Versailles. The maze included 39 groups of hydraulic statuary. The statues that appeared to be speaking emitted a stream of water to indicate speech. On what theme were the statues based? : a. The Roman Gods : b. The Fables of Aesop : c. The Greek Legends : d. A British Court of the King 8. For most hedge mazes, the shrubs that comprise the maze walls are taller than the average hedge visitor. To see the layout of the maze, you must be in an elevated position such as on a raised platform, or hillside. More recent mazes are made similar to hedge mazes but are built completely of corn stalks during the fall season. Go to Audubon's Wild Woods and say: "Don't get led off the path in a labyrinth!" 9. There are two basic types of mazes: unicursal and multicursal. Unicursal mazes do not have branches or blind alleys so they are not a very challenging puzzle for maze goers to solve. A multicursal design, however, includes paths which lead down blind alleys and branches ending in a dead end. Finding the end or the "goal" of the maze is a challenge. Which of the following is not a type of maze? : a. Perfect : b. Plainair : c. Braid : d.'' Rabbit'' 10. Some maze visitors "solve a maze" by placing their hand on one wall and following that wall through the maze. Each blind alley will only be traversed one time in and out until the whole maze is done, or the goal discovered. If a maze is designed with an "island," this method will not work. An island is a part of the maze independent of the exterior walls. Since the above method uses an exterior wall to travel all through the maze, the "island" is never reached. Go to the Space Pirate Party Boat in Space Age and say: "Muddling, mysterious mazes!"